What is Ludo entering on a 1 or a 6?
In the standard game a token can leave the yard only on a roll of 6. In this variant a roll of 1 can bring a token out too: it goes onto your start square, exactly as it would on a 6. As always, you may choose to move a token that is already on the board instead.
Only the 6 keeps its extra roll. A 1 that brings a token out does not earn another roll, unless that token captures an opponent waiting on your start square, which earns the usual extra roll for a capture.
With two numbers out of six letting a token out, a token leaves the yard on one roll in three instead of one in six. The opening goes faster, a captured token is back in play sooner, and long waits for a 6 at the start of the game become rare.
Rule changes
| Rule | Standard Ludo | Ludo entering on a 1 or a 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Leaving the yard | Standard LudoOnly a 6 brings a token onto your start square. | Ludo entering on a 1 or a 6A 1 or a 6 brings a token onto your start square. |
| Extra roll | Standard LudoA 6 earns another roll. | Ludo entering on a 1 or a 6A 6 earns another roll; a 1 does not. |
| Captures on entering | Standard LudoA token entering on a 6 captures an opponent standing on your start square. | Ludo entering on a 1 or a 6The same on a 1 or a 6, with the usual extra roll for the capture. |
| Chance to enter | Standard LudoOne roll in six. | Ludo entering on a 1 or a 6One roll in three. |
| Other options | Standard LudoEvery option in the table setup can be used. | Ludo entering on a 1 or a 6Entering on a 1 works with every other option. |
History
In the usual rules of Ludo a token leaves the yard only on a roll of 6. Several traditions let a 1 do the same. In an Indian variant a roll of one also allows a token to enter play. In a Vietnamese variant a one is given equal status to a six, and in a Latvian variant a player who rolls a one or a six may either roll again or move a token to the starting position. Some house rules let a player with no pieces on the board bring out the first one on a one or a six.
The version played here is the simplest of these: a 1 brings a token out just as a 6 does, and only the 6 earns another roll.